Wrapped package and means for forming the same



July 14, 1936. K. GYEERLINYGS WRAPPED PACKAGE AND MEANS FOR FORMING THE SAME Filed March 15, 1933 FIG. 6

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$414 NTOR VBY ATTORNEY Patented July 14,1936

' UNITED .STATES PATENT osrics memes WRAPPED PACKAGE AND MEANS FOR FORMING THE SALE My invention relates to wrapped packages and e to means for producing the same, and particularly to packages suchlas'tho'se in which cigarettes are distributed and sold and which are adapted to be readily opened in such a way that the contents thereof are exposedfor easy access.

Cigarettes, cigars and other forms of tobacco,

as well as many other types of goods. are commonly put up for sale and distribution in pack- 10 ages formed of one or more layers of paper, metalfoil, cellulose compositions, or other material capable of being easily torn in opening the packase. Cigarettes, for instance, are usually sold in packages of twenty cigarettes each, wrapped in a .composite sheet of white paper and metal foil, having the paper adjacent'the cigarettes and the metal foil outward. The upper and lower edges of the sheet are folded over the top and bottomof the package to close thesame. Ordinarily an outside cover member is applied over the-folded inner-wrapper, and printing and trade-marks are applied to this cover member. A revenue stamp is' then pasted over the interfolded top of the package and tothe cover member.

In opening the package one corner or end, of the top of the inner wrapper is torn away to expose the ends of the cigarettes. It'is then necessary either to shake or.tap the package vigorously to remove the first -few cigarettes, in

which case several of v e cigarettes'frequently come out at once. Or in the alternative it is necessary to grasp the ends of the cigarettes with the fingers to remove the same, and in so doing the adjacent cigarettes are commonly torn or crushed or tobacco ispulled out of the cigarettes, thus mutilating or destroying them. j

It has been proposedheretofore to provide wrappers, and in some cases cover members for wrapped packages, with perforated or scored lines 46 to facilitate the 'removal'o'f a predetermined area or portion of the top, or the top and side, of the package to permit" easy removal of the first few cigarettes. However, such proposals require a separate manufacturing operation on each wrap- 45 per before it is applied for the purpose of perforating or'scoring the same. This step involves additional manipulations'and work and thereby increases-the cost and 'diiliculty of packing the. the

goods. Furthermore, the perforations. 5o wrapper render the contents subject to de oration due to changes in atmospheric conditions,

and permit the contents on standing tobecome either damp or dried out or to become a condition whichis especially objectionable in to- 55 bacco products.

In order to overcome these disadvantages of the a prior art and provide a package wherein the cigarettes, or other contents of the package, are easily removed provide a novel form of package and cover member adapted to be applied to a wrapped package and designed to permit easy opening thereof. The cover member serves to define the portion of thepackage torn away in opening the same, and to enable the upper ends and a portion of the sides-adjacent the ends of m the cigarettes to be exposed in such a way that they may easily be grasped and their removal from the package facilitated. This result is attained without resorting to the provision of perforations or scoring on the wrapper so that 15 danger of deterioration of the package contents due to atmospheric conditions is avoided. Moreover I attain this result in such a way that no I additional manufacturing steps or operations are required in forming the package, and. in fact as hereinafter described, my invention effects a MW 9 ing in the amount of material used in forming the package.

It is an object of my invention to overcome ob- -jectionable features of packages, such as clearette packages, heretofore employedand toprovide 'a package that is readily opened in such a way that cigarettes or other contents of the package may easiiy be removed.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cover member adapted to be applied to a wrapped paclflage which serves to define or limit the portion of the package'removed in opening the same. A further object of my invention is to provide a cover member, aportion of which is formed with an edge spaced below the top of the .package to permit tearing of the inner wrapper along a line below the ends of the cigarettes, so theta portion of the side thereof adjacent to one end, is exposed -makingit possibleto grasp the cigarettes-easily and remove them from the package without mutilating or destroying other cigarettes in the package.

A further object of my inventionis to provide a wrapped. package free from perforated or scored portions and capable ofbeing produced and applied with the same machinery now employed he producingwrapped packages. a.

' Still another obiectof my invention is to provide a novel method of forming cover members adaptedto be applied to wrapped packages. 0

These and other objects and features of my inventionwill appear from thefollowing description thereof as applied to cigarette packages.

" However, it will be understood that certain features of my invention are also applicable for use as applied to other types of packages, and therefore I do not wish my invention to be confined to the particular illustrative forms thereof hereinafter described and shown in the figures of the drawing.

In the drawing.

Figure 1. is a plan view of onetype of cover member formed in accordance 'with my invention, 1

Figure 2 is a perspective of a wrapped package with a cover member of the type illustrated in Fig. 1 applied thereto,

Figure 3 is a perspective of a package of the type illustrated in Fig. 2 with a portion ofthe inner wrapper torn away to expose the cigarettes in the package. Figure=4 is a plan view of an alternative form of cover member embodying my invention,

Figure 5 is a perspective of a wrapped package embodying my invention, having still another form of cover member thereon,

Figure fi is a diagrammatic representation of a web of material showing a novel method of forming cover members in accordance with my invention, and,

Figures 7 and 8 are diagrammatic representations similarto that of Fig. 6 illustrating alternative methods of forming cover members 'e'mbodying my invention.

In the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, a wrapper 2, formed of a sheet of flexible material capable of being easily torn, is applied to the cigarettes or other material to be wrapped. When used in forming cigarette packages the sheet 2 is preferably made up of an inner layer of paper and an outer layer of metal foil. This composite wrapper is applied to the cigarettes with the inner layer of paper adjacent the cigarettes and the layer of metal foil on the outside. The upper and lower edges of the wrapper are folded over the top and bottom of the package in the usual way by folding the material adjacent the sides of the package inward at l and then folding the front and back inward at 8 and 8. The bottom is ordinarily folded in the same way as the top, but any other suitable-manner of folding the wrapper about the top and bottom of the package may be employed if desired.

The cover member indicated at It in Fig. 1 is formed of relatively heavy paper or light cardboard, such as is used at present in cigarettepackages, and is in the shape of a rectangular sheet, the=bottom edge l2 and the ends ll of which are straight. The upper edge of the sheet is preferably straight throughout the portions l6 and it thereof adjacent the ends of the sheet. Between the end portions of the sheet a cut-out portion 20 is formed having a lower edge 22- which isalso straight and parallel with the opposite edge of the sheet. Inclined portions 24 connect the lower edge 22 of the cut-out portion with the adjacent end portions l6 and ll of the upper edge of the sheet. Although the portions 24 are shown ,in Fig. 1, as straight and inclined it will be-apof the inner package, as in the usual construction,

and the overlapping ends ll of thensheet are pasted or otherwise secured to hold the cover together and in shape.

The cut-out portion 2a of the sheet is positioned so that it extends across the front and a portionof the sides of the package, with the 5 lower edge 22 thereof below the top of the package. A revenue stamp may then be applied over the folded portions 6 and 8 of the wrapper and extended downward to engage the upper portion of the cover as is the usual practice at the pres-- 10 cut time.

Since the cover is formed of heavier material than the paper-metal foil wrapper it is not torn very readily and therefore in opening the package the flexible wrapper tears along the upper edge of the cover and along the lower edge of the cut-out portion 22 below the top of, the package. In opening the package the user grasps the overlapp ng fold 6 or I of the wrapper and tears along the revenue stamp, mutilating the same. If the wrapper is torn toward the front-of the package, shown in Fig. 2. the material will tear downward below the top of the package to the lower edge 22 of the cut-out portion and thence along. said edge to the-inclined portion 24. The material thereafter is torn along the upper edge It or it, of the package to the revenue stamp so that the end of the top is removed, leaving a portion of the side of each cigarette in the torn out portion of the package exposed to permit easy removal thereof. r

If the wrapper should be torn' in the opposite direction, i. e. toward the back of the package, shown in Fig. 2, the tear will nevertheless follow the upper edge It or I! of the cover, the inclined portion 24 and the lower edge 22 of the cut-out portion to the revenue stamp, removing the same portion of the package as before. It is therefore immaterial in which direction the tear is started in opening the package since the some portion of the top is removed in. ither case.

With the construction described above the portions It and III of the upper edge of the cover member extend to t top of the package across the back thereof, shown in Fig. 2 and part way across the sides of the package, giving strength to the .top of the package and preventing crushing of the package and contents. Even when most of the cigarettes have been removed from the package the sides retain their original shape just as in the present packages, so that the advantages of easy removal of the contents are obtained without sacrificing the protection aflorded by extending the cover member to the topof the inner wrapped package.

In the form of cover member shown in Fig. 4, the upper edge of the rectangular sheet-is provided with two spaced cut-out portions 26, each formed with a lower edge" parallel to the opposite edge of the sheet. "The tab 10 between the cut-out portions 26 is designed to be engaged by the usual revenue stamp. This arrangement of the cut-out portions presents the advantages inherent in the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and has the further advantage that a relaflgely'large area of the cover member is engaged by the stamp without altering themethod of applying the stamp from that now in practice. Furthermore, the opposite ends of the portion of the paper-foil wrapper removed in opening the package are supported by a portion: of the cover member extending to the top of "the package and therefore the ,cover provides support for the paper-foil wrapper throughout a greater portion of the top of the pack'age'andat 76 the points subject to the greatest strain in handling. I

'In Fig.5 I have illustrated a further alternative form of package in which the upper edge of the.

, cover member is spaced from the top of the package throughout the circumference thereof.

' In this type of package the cover member is in the form of a rectangular sheet of slightly less width than the present type of cover in common use and differs from the cover members illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 inthat no cut-out portion is provided in the upper edge thereof.

Each of the types of cover member described above may be applied to wrapped packages in the usual manner of applying covers to cigarette and similar packages today and without the use of new or additional operations and machinery. The type of cover illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 as well as that shown in Fig. 5 possesses the further advantage that the amount of material required for each cover is reduced. Thissaving becomes appreciable and is readily obtained by cutting the covers from a long strip or web of material having parallel edges. As illustrated in Figs.

- 6, 7 and 8 the covers are cut-from a web of somewhat less than twice the width of the individual covers, however it is equally possible to cut the covers from a web which is four, six or any other even multiple 'of the single covers in width. In the latter case the saving in material is multiplied in a single sheet and therefore becomes more appreciable.

As illustrated in Figs. 6, '7' and 8 the web is cut lengthwise,- in spaced parallel lines 32 and 34 which extend longitudinally of the web on the opposite sides of the center line 36. The end of each line 32 is connected to the adjacent end of the line Men the opposite side of the center line by a diagonal cut 38 as shown in Figs. 6 and '7 or by a cut at right, angles to the center line as shown in Fig. 8. The lines 32 and 34.each

form the lower edge of the'cut-out portion of a cover member-on one side of the center line and the upper edge of the portions l6 and 18 of adjacent cover members on the opposite side of the center line. For this purpose the length of the cut-out portion 22 equals the sum of the lengths of the portions l6 and I8 on each cover member. The material is severed transversely, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, in lines 40 extending from one edge of the web'toward the opposite edge, and

terminating with the longitudinal lines 32 and 34. As illustrated in Fig. 6 the lines 40 are located alternately on opposite sides of the web and intersect the lines 32 and 34 at points between the diagonal cuts 28. It is of course apparent that the lines 40 ,may be located at any suitable point along the web, it being necessary only tospace the lines on one side far enough apart to provide a wrapper lo enough to extend all the way around the. wrappe package with a slight amount of additional material for overlapping at the ends.v

member in the latter case will be formed as shown at 44 with a cut-out portion 46 at one end of the upper edge of the cover instead of between the ends as in the cover illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6, l

In Fig. ,8, I have illustrated a further alternative method of cutting the cover members whereby cuts 46 extending all the way across the web are located midway between the ends of the longitudinal cuts 32 and 34 so that the cutting operation is further. simplified.

It will of course be understood that the cutting operations may be performed successively or simultaneously as desired, using any desired type of cutting mechanism capable ofperforming the desired operations.

While the foregoing types of wrapped packages and cover members are preferred, it will be apparent'that the form and arrangement of the elements-of the cover member, the folded portions of the wrapper and cover member, and-the '-method of forming and applying the cover memhere, are capable of considerable variation and therefore it'should be understood that the forms of my invention herein described are illustrative and are not intended to limit my invention.

I claim: l. A wrapped package having a cover member extending about the sides and bottom of the package and having one portion of the upper edge substantially flush with the top of the package and having the remainder of the upper edge spaced from the top of'the package and substantially parallel thereto.

.2. A wrapped package formed of a uniform imperforate sheet of flexible material capable of being readily torn in opening the package, and

'in opening the package, in combination with a cover extending about the sides of the package and having one portion of the upper edge flush with the top of the package and the remaining portion of said edge spaced from the top of the package and separate means extending over the top of the package serving to limit the area of the flexible material removed in opening the package.

GERALD K. GEERLINGS. 

